


A Whole New World - oneshots

by Leni



Series: A Whole New World [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Rumbelle, Gen, for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2019-09-17 05:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 5,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16968657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: Gideon travels to a world where Henry Mills never existed.Instead, he brings 28-year-old Henry Cassidy to a cursed town.





	1. fighter

**Author's Note:**

> @imgilmoregirl asked Gideon + Belle, No?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the support. You're the best. HUGS.

Gideon stared at the young woman clutching a mug of hot chocolate - Henry's recommendation - as she stole frightened glances around the diner. 

"You're safe here," Henry tried to reassure her. 

Her eyes widened at the direct address, her expression bearing more incomprehension than disbelief, her shoulders hunching a little higher around her ears. "Yes."

Even her voice, so small and unimposing, was nothing like Gideon had expected. 

"We'll get you a room," Henry continued, optimistically going forward with their original plan. If he noticed that Gideon was at a loss, he didn't let on. His focus was the damsel in distress, and his chance to play the hero in real life. "You'll have a week or two to figure things out. No pressure."

They had already explained this, but the girl didn't show any enthusiasm for a life outside her cell. 

Gideon was horrified at the curse's viciousness. 

His mother had loved travelling. His childhood had been a string of trips to explore new corners of any world his father's magic could access. They'd been looking for a way to eschew the dagger, of course, but their quest hadn't put the light in his mother's eyes at the prospect of a new adventure. 

This girl's eyes were kept downcast. 

"What do you need?" he asked in the lowest voice he could manage, too aware that he had spooked her earlier.

She shook her head, never looking up from her beverage. 

Under the table, Gideon curled his hand into a fist. Fine. She didn't trust him. Fine. His family always knew to play with the cards they were dealt. 

Henry coughed at the elbow at his ribs, but a quick exchange of pointed looks had him on the right track. 

"Yes, sure," Henry said, just a little too brightly. The artless sincerity in his tone had to come from his mother's side, but how efficiently he deployed it was all Gold. "Anything you need. Please let us know."

It worked. 

The girl set her cup down, and after a deep breath, she was looking up again. "Do you really know me?"

"Not me, sorry. I'm just the cavalry." Henry shrugged, always smiling. "Gid here is the one you want."

There was a moment of hesitation. Then she turned toward Gideon, hands almost white as they pressed against the mug but her chin raised high. 

Even cursed, alone and without memories, Belle Gold rose above her fears. 

Gideon had never loved his mother so fiercely. 

"Who am I?"

_My mom._

_My father's true love._

_The strength of our family._

None of that was true here. Not yet. 

But before the Edge of Realms, before a son had come into the picture, before she'd ever become maid to the Dark One, there was a truth about the girl before Gideon: "You're a fighter." He injected conviction into the word, aware that she couldn't understand. "It's okay if you don't believe me yet. You'll see."

 

The End  
04/09/19


	2. Chapter 2

One of the first things he’d learned from his father was how to interrupt his mother when she was immersed in one of her books. Worlds and lifetimes away, the old lesson had become a polite habit when dealing with his roommate.

Watching carefully, Gideon wrapped a scarf around his neck as he waited for Lacey to reach the end of the page she was reading. “Hey, Lace,” he said quickly, before she had turned to the next page, “Henry just called. His new chapter is not coming through so we’re meeting at the White Rabbit to see if inspiration strikes again. Coming?”

Lacey smiled, but she shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“No?” Surprise made him blink. One thing his mother and this younger, cursed version had it common was their fondness for a glass of beer. “You sure?”

“I, um…” She turned away, but Gideon could still see a blush rising on her cheeks. “I promised I’d be elsewhere. For, you know, an interview. For a job. A new job. A job interview.”

His brows climbed up his forehead. His mother had also been hopeless at dissembling. He had never worried that his clever mother would land herself in trouble, though. That had been his father’s job, and no wonder when he’d known this impulsive, risks-be-damned side of her.

“This late in the day?”

Lacey’s blush brightened. “After closing hours. There’s a better chance to have an actual conversation that way.”

“I see.” He didn’t spy on her. She could have found out about any number of job openings, and she’d been saying for weeks that while she didn’t mind working as the only maid in that big house out of town, the owner gave her the creeps. But that blush… “Well, good luck.”

“Thanks, Gid.”

“And say hello to Mr. Gold from me!” Her squeak and the sound of a book dropping on the floor made him snigger. “You’re an awful liar, Lacey.”

She grumbled something he preferred to pretend he didn’t understand.

“I think the two of you are cute together, if that matters,” he told her.

Even cursed, these versions of his parents were a good match.

“It’s just work,” Lacey insisted.

“Sure, Lace.” He waved goodbye and made sure he was out of earshot before he continued, his smile even wider. “That’s how it always starts.”

 

The End  
13/06/18


	3. viable

Gideon tilted the measuring cup, watching for that chemically impossible amber film that would appear in a successful potion. 

It was magenta. 

"How in the worlds...?"

For the umpteenth time, he wished that his father were awake. A location spell would be the matter of a snap of fingers - and completely unnecessary, as his father would have known where the Dark One's dagger had ended up. 

"And I wouldn't need the damn thing to wake him up in the first place," Gideon grumbled, shaking the little container as if that would help his work along. 

Perhaps the potion was still viable, regardless of its unusual hue. The simplest spells needed to be tweaked, why should a magical reaction stay the same?

Gathering a hair from Mr. Gold had been a challenge Gideon was not ready to repeat. 

"It'll have to work," he decided. 

But he'd start thinking of a new reason for singed eyebrows, in case this one also exploded in his face. 

 

The End  
19/08/19


	4. crude

A crude sketch of the dagger lay between them.   
  
Gideon kept his attention on the man behind the counter, hoping for a reaction. Maybe Emma's visit had woken up his papa, and the man just didn't know that Gideon wanted to help him.   
  
Showing knowledge of the Dark One's dagger to Rumpelstiltskin was a risk, but Gideon was confident he could sway his opinion before there was a target painted on his back.   
  
His father would find a way to take down a perceived threat, magic or not.   
  
"Not much of an artist, are you, Mr. French?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I must disappoint, as I've never seen quite the like in these environs. Curious shape, though. Should I run into it, I'll call you in. In the meanwhile, if you have an interest in medieval weapons..."  
  
He pointed to a recent addition in the room.   
  
Gideon reminded himself it wasn't Excalibur. It just went by its name.   
  
_A perfect match, Mr. French_.   
  
Had the sword been pulled from storage because of Emma? And was it done willingly, or just another odd crack that the Savior's short-lived presence had caused?  
  
Gideon met his father's eyes.   
  
Only Mr. Gold looked back.  
  
"Interested?"  
  
There was triumph on his father's face, but that was only the successful business. Even cursed, Rumpelstiltskin knew how to cast a bait.   
  
"Sure," said Gideon.   
  
As his options dwindled, a sword just might come in handy.

 

The End

19/08/19


	5. logistic

Logistics didn't apply to Storybrooke with any reliable success. Gideon's careful plans never yielded the intended result, and the constant failure started to grate. 

His mother had been locked in a cell, but freedom meant an unknown persona taking hold of her. His father was no help, as nothing Gideon tried snapped Rumpelstiltskin awake. 

Regina - still the Evil Queen - was absent from her kingdom, and the curse had grown wild without its caster. The Saviour, meanwhile, remained ignorant of her charge, happily cruising the world on her second (first, since the original had been spent battling morning sickness) honeymoon.

Desperate, Gideon had decided to bring magic into play... just to find the underground caverns without the dragon he needed. 

"Papa wouldn't have allowed the curse without insurance," he told himself, tapping the useless sword against his jeans. The dragon must have run loose. 

Even oblivious Storybrooke would have noticed a mythical creature in the woods, wouldn't they?

Gideon snorted. 

"Tracking the dragon, it is."

 

The End  
19/08/19


	6. tried

"I'm sorry," Gideon whispered, standing on the other side of Lacey's door. "I'm so sorry you can't be happy here."  
  
He felt powerless against the latest tide of anger that swept Storybrooke. The curse was lashing out at Henry's absence, punishing his friends until he returned.  
  
Lacey's growing sense of belonging had been the victim today, as half the town went out of their way to remark how unsafe they felt, with a former asylum resident among them, and how suspicious, that after nearly half a year no family had come to collect her. How dangerous must she be, if no one would claim her?  
  
Gideon's mother had never doubted the love of her husband and son. This cursed version had no defense against the malicious remarks, and she'd arrived to their apartment near tears.  
  
At least he'd made her laugh with an impression of Mother Superior, and Lacey had just ushered him away claiming to be too sleepy to appreciate his efforts.  
  
Both had pretended that her eyes weren't still red-rimmed, and that tomorrow it would be better.  
  
Meanwhile, they were trapped in a curse Gideon couldn't break.  
  
_I tried_ , he said to the memory of his parents.  
  
And because he couldn't imagine them other than wholeheartedly supportive regardless of his failure, he pictured their proud smiles.  
  
_We know_ , they would tell him. And, _you have nothing to be sorry for._  
  
Gideon smiled wryly.  
  
Easier said than done.

 

The End

19/08/19


	7. hurtle

Henry lifted himself from the couch with measured movements - and still hurtled forward as his feet decided they couldn't find the floor right beneath them for a next step. 

"Hey, hey," said Lacey, taking his arm to help his balance. "Easy there, Henry."

Her grip was secure, despite the same amount of alcohol coursing through her. Probably more, as she'd have a shot of whiskey at the pawnshop before starting the trek to their apartment in the snow. Warmed her up, she claimed. If her boss was anyone else, Henry would suspect Lacey of making up excuses to spend more time with a single guy. "You don't like Gold, do you?"

Had her cheeks been red because of the beers, or had she just blushed?

"You're red," he found himself saying, then clapped his mouth shut. He sounded like an idiot. "I'm not an idiot."

Two laughs differed. 

How did two strangers laugh the same?

"Okay, time for bed," said the bastard formerly known as Henry's best friend. 

"Harsh, Cassidy," Gideon continued, since Henry's mouth didn't listen to orders. He took Henry's other side and helped Lacey steer him to the bedroom in the right corner. "What did I do?"

"You sent the wrong vibes."

He heard their amusement. 

Even their snickers sounded similar. 

"I told you not to try and outdrink Lacey," Gideon pointed out. "At least you quit before your liver did."

"You couldn't have known for certain," Henry insisted. 

He also noticed that he was sitting on a bed. His bed. Was he pantless? How was he pantless? 

"Your pants are on, Henry," Lacey said patiently. "And anyone could tell you're a lightw--- Wait, don't change yet! Okay, I'm out."

That left him with a stubborn belt and a giant in the room. 

"That was subtle," said the giant. "Also, completely revolting. Please never do it again."

Henry tossed the belt in Gideon's direction. "Bet she wouldn't mind Gold taking off his clothes in the same room."

He took the silence as his answer. 

"Does it make sense to you?"

To his surprise, the question drew a thoughtful expression out of his friend. "You know," Gideon said, a small smile on his lips, "I don't think so. I just never realized how different they... I mean, two people, any two people, can be." He coughed and turned away. A moment later he was back, having retrieved Henry's pajamas from under his pillow. "Here. You don't want a cold on top of your hangover."

Henry huffed. "She can do better."

"Yes," Gideon dragged out the word with reluctance. "But she won't care."

Lacey could be stubborn; that was true. 

Henry tried to picture the dour pawnshop owner do something silly as engage in a drinking contest just to lift Lacey's spirits. 

"He won't make her happy." He almost wanted to backpedal at the forlorn look on Gideon's face. Talk about sending bad vibes. Ugh. He sucked. "I'm sorry. I wish her the best, I do. But that guy..."

Gideon, still looking pale, raised a hand to stop him. "No, I get it. This isn't any kind of place for happiness... If only the town line didn't.... Oh, you wouldn't get it." He turned around. "It's okay, Henry. Just go to sleep."

Obedient, Henry slipped under the covers. "I just want her happy."

"Don't worry." Gideon's voice started to fade as Henry drifted into dreams. "Happily ever after is exactly what she'll get. Whatever it takes."


	8. manned

  
To ask his Papa for a favor and be met, not with loving indulgence but with a wariness half a step below hostility, was jarring.   
  
Gideon had been ready for flat denial, so he kept the smile on his face. "It'll be only a few people. Just the three of us and our dates."   
  
He wasn't inviting anyone, and though Henry might make an effort and ask Ruby, Gideon doubted she'd accept. The curse had written Snow White's best friend into a woman who avoided meaningful bonds. Drinks at the Rabbit Hole were one thing, a little dinner party at Henry's apartment was too close to the start of a relationship.   
  
Maybe once the curse lifted...  
  
Until then, Gideon was counting on three people to be present at his birthday. If he could convince this third one to attend.   
  
"You can close the pawnshop for a few hours, right? Perks of being the owner. Or, I guess. You can leave it manned by Dove. He used to help out before you hired Lace, right?"  
  
Gold didn't appreciate the suggestions. "So you want my business either empty, or under the charge of a fool." His eyes narrowed. "Why?"  
  
"Wow. No. I just meant... Are you always this suspicious?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Gideon tried to imagine his father afflicted by this kind of paranoia. Other than on the subject of his family safety, his Papa had been an easy-going man.   
  
"If you're worried about Miss Beaumont's schedule, she and I have already come to an arrangement." Mr. Gold's expression could have been carved in stone. Nothing to betray that he'd offered a Sunday shift in his home in stead of the evening hours Lacey would be skipping. Gideon did not think of all the cleaning that _wouldn't_ be taking place behind closed doors. "I wish you a good day."  
  
He should take the hint and leave.   
  
Cold courtesy was his father's version of a slammed door.   
  
But it was his birthday, damn it.   
  
He wanted his parents with him, even this cursed version that wouldn't believe him if he told them the truth, and wouldn't know him even if they were awake.   
  
"Did Lacey tell you about the menu?"  
  
"She mentioned dessert."  
  
Gideon grinned. He'd always gotten a homemade cake for his birthday, and was happy that this year wouldn't be the exception.   
  
"Well, sure. But I'm in charge of the main meal. It's something my dad would make on special occasions, you see. Baked potatoes stuffed with green onions and cheese, and a side of shredded chicken cooked in bell peppers, onions. All of it cooked in too much butter to even pretend it's healthy."  
  
Mr. Gold raised an eyebrow. "If I say that I'll think about it, will you go away?"  
  
Gideon had heard the same words every time he'd been pestering his father, and his father always gave in after saying them.   
  
"Sure." He smiled. "Dinner starts at six."

 

The End

20/08/19


	9. Cranny

  
"Mr. Madderford!" Gideon dusted his jeans, unable to take offense at the wrinkle in the other man's nose. After a morning searching the barest clue of the dragon's whereabouts, his presentation must leave lots to be desired. "This is a surprise."  
  
"I imagine," said Madderford. "You've grown too used to a lonely quest. French, is it? Mind if I keep you company?"  
  
The man's smile was too wide, his eyes too eager.  
  
Thankful as she'd been for that first job, Lacey had mentioned how awkward she felt around him. Gideon has assumed she was looking for excuses to accept a spot at the pawnshop, but now he revised his opinion.  
  
He felt like the butt of a joke Madderford had just invented.  
  
"I don't want to detain you..."  
  
Madderford threw his head back in laughter. "Detain me! No, not at all. Just the opposite. Isn't that right, Mr. French? We're all finally moving forward-" he tilted an imaginary hat toward Gideon "-and it's all thanks to you."  
  
The knowledge flashed bright behind the mania.  
  
This man was awake.  
  
Someone was awake.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Madderford bowed at the waist, his grin growing wider. "A fool. An expert. A dead man walking." He tilted his head to meet Gideon's eyes. "Once upon a time," he said that phrase with mocking sing-song, "I travelled between worlds as well."  
  
"Do you have a name?"  
  
Madderford clicked his tongue, wagging a finger in the air. "I'm not fool enough to give that knowledge to the Dark One's child."  
  
Gideon narrowed his eyes.  
  
"It's uncanny. You're his spitting image, when you're trying to decide whether I'm of more use fed with the truth or with a lie."  
  
That surprised a laugh out of Gideon.  
  
Papa liked to compare him to his mother, but the world at large had always felt differently.  
  
Mother chalked it up to the sheer mischief in their expression.  
  
Strangers called it deviousness.  
  
Despite public opinion, Gideon didn't have a taste for lies. Truth was easier, and misdirection served as a last resort. Denying his parentage gained him nothing, so he let Madderford resolve how those family ties could be possible in this world. "I've never heard of you."  
  
"Well," Madderford said with a shrug, "those who raised you were lacking important information. Rumple and I go way back."  
  
Gideon didn't correct the assumption. Perhaps that was one of the different details of this world, and his father had made a friend in the Enchanted Forest.  
  
Or Madderford could be lying.  
  
Just a couple of weeks ago, Pinocchio had tried to pass himself off as Gideon's older brother. He couldn't trust strangers, just because they shared an objective in the breaking if the curse.  
  
"Why introduce yourself now?"  
  
"Amusing as it's been, watching you wander in and out of the woods, you won't make any progress. Even if Rumple did hide his dagger in the wild, it'll take years of searching every nook and cranny to find the right spot. _And I don't have years_."  
  
Gideon was instantly on his guard.  
  
Anyone with an interest in the Dark One's dagger was a threat. He theorized it'd help return his father's memory, but after that he was giving it up.  
  
No one else would release that control.  
  
"You have a point," he said, not daring to trust the true reason for his search. With any luck, Madderford would point him toward the dragon and think it was his plan. "What do you suggest instead?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? Your mistake was to let the Savior go."  
  
"She didn't believe."  
  
Emma had a man wake from a coma right under her nose, and she still didn't believe in miracles. Much less in magic curses.  
  
"You didn't give her enough of an incentive," Madderford replied, a stubborn intensity in his eyes. Then he blinked, gave a rueful laugh at the expression on Gideon's face. "I'm not crazy. I'm desperate."  
  
One of his father's earliest lessons was that there was little difference between the two.  
  
And that, with careful handling, they could always be made useful.  
  
"Emma has no plans to return."  
  
"You're tight with her son. I'll eat my hat if you can't convince him to call up dear Mom."  
  
Henry missed his parents. Hinting at the experience of the holidays season in a small town would be easy enough.  
  
"Say she comes," Gideon allowed. "Then what?"  
  
True Love needed to be paired with strength of will, to break any curse. Until Emma believed, she was no help to them.  
  
Madderford smiled. "Leave that in my hands, Junior. I have a plan."

 

The End

25/08/19


	10. Blister

"Hey, Lace. As promised, delivery from Gran-" Stunned, Gideon blinked, but his father's spinning wheel remained in place. "Granny's," he finished, more hoarsely than he meant.

He dropped the greasy paperbags in Lacey's hand, barely paying attention to her words. She wanted to invite Gold to join them, yes, yes, sure. Did Gideon mind? No, not at all.

It didn't cross his mind to tease her for asking for a third cheeseburger in advance.

Lacey disappeared into the backroom, still talking, while Gideon blinked back tears. With his heart in his throat, he walked over to the spinning wheel. Decades and worlds away, a piece of his childhood had returned to him.

It was the same as in his memories, except for the scrawl in permanent ink his four-year-old self had inscribed on the base, and which his father had refused to spell out of the ancient wood.

"It gives it character," he echoed his father's usual reply.

As a teenager, he had burned with embarrassment at the proof of his childish misbehavior.

Now, his lips curved into a small smile as his thumb ran against the unmarked spot.

"Maybe you had a point, Papa."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lacey said from behind him, snickering when he startled visibly. At least she was kind enough not to mention his reaction. "It was gathering dust in the basement, of all places. Took me forever to convince Adrian to haul it up."

Of course his father hadn't wanted his spinning wheel outside the house. Gideon could imagine that any potential buyer would meet Gold's worst temper.

"It doesn't have a price tag," he noted.

"The best pieces never do. It piques people's interest."

It also allowed Gold to pick the price according to their pocket.

Lacey shrugged when he said as much. "This is a business."

"And a deal is only fair if it's of equal value for all parties involved," he quoted. The little frown on Lacey's face reminded him that his mother hadn't agreed with that perspective.

She'd have traded mountains of gold for a sincere thank you. His father would do it too, if the gratefulness came from someone he valued.

The smarter people knew to address the Dark One's wife first, when requesting help.

"Wise words," said Gold, coming to stand beside Lacey while giving a wide, pointed berth to the bags on the counter. Nonetheless, he was wearing one of his rare grins. Rarer still, as it was aimed at Gideon. "Do you find your interest piqued, Mr. French?"

Gideon wasn't fool enough to lie. "I do."

"I wonder if it'd fit in that apartment of yours." Gold smirked. "Definitely wouldn't match the decoration."

"You're not supposed to dampen my motivation, Mr. Gold." Gideon smiled at the expression on his father's face, while Lacey glanced at him askance. He bet that Gold had no idea why he'd just done that. "And it wouldn't be for decoration only."

"You can use that thing?"

Gideon nodded. _That exact same thing_. "We had one at home," he answered Lacey's question. "My father learned the skill as a child, and kept the habit throughout his life." All four centuries of it. His spinning wheel was held together by more magic than most wizards got to spend in their lifetimes. "I learned from him."

"A unique hobby," Gold remarked.

Gideon wanted to laugh. He hoped that at least the curse had freed Rumpelstiltskin from sleepless nights. Too many times he'd heard the turning of the wheel in the main room, spinning on and on without stop. Had his father been an ordinary man, his hands would have been covered in blisters in the morning.

"My father is a unique man." Only at Lacey's quizzical look did he realize his mistake. "Was. He was a..." He shook his head. He hadn't meant to spoil the mood. "Never mind that. I'm hungry. Can we have lunch now?"

Lacey reached over to give his arm a quick squeeze. Then she handed out the bags, ignoring Gold's distressed look at the prospect of fast food.

"If you must drown my pawnshop in the stench of grease and onions, we'll at least have a decent tea to wash it down." Gold motioned toward the backroom in a gesture that would have been commanding if Lacey hadn't decided to hang onto his arm with an adoring smile. She obviously appreciated that he was finally mellowing toward her friends. "Coming, French?"

Tea had always meant comfort in the Gold household.

Even this stilted invitation made Gideon feel lighter.

"Sure," he said.

He gave the spinning wheel one last look, hoping its future was in a home as happy as in his original world. He also made sure that it was a long look, as to give Gold and Lacey the chance to sneak a quick kiss.

Teenage embarrassment had taught him the signs of his parents feeling romantic. Whole realities away, the knowledge was still useful.

He counted to ten. Slowly. Then he coughed before turning around.

"Any chance there'll be honey to sweeten that tea?"

Gold's expression bordered on offended, and it made a funny contrast to the blissful blush on Lacey's face.

"Do I have...?" His voice lowered, and he continued in a friendlier tone. "Of course I do."

The three of them pretended Lacey's pout hadn't made the difference.

Gideon smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"

 

The End  
27/08/19


	11. lumber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG. Thanks for all the comments! You guys are the best.

Gideon glanced up. 

And further up. 

"I may have miscalculated," he muttered to himself as he took a long step back behind the thick trunk of a tree. 

The dragon lumbered on, oblivious to his presence. 

Logic demanded a retreat. When a creature the size of three houses stacked together didn't need magic to breath fire, the prudent choice was an immediate change of plans. 

It had been an awful plan, anyway. 

Retrieving the true love potion was a good idea in theory, and Gideon still believed he could use it to break the curse, or at least free his father from it. 

However, the reality of slaughtering a living creature just because he'd grown desperate left a bitter taste on his tongue. The convenient excuse of saving innocents wasn't even an option, as the dragon seemed content to avoid Storybrooke and supply their diet with wild animals only.

His mother would be disappointed. 

"All right, new plan."

 

The End  
01/09/19


	12. feeble

Gideon wasn't a stranger to his father's darker moods.   
  
They hadn't been a frequent occurrence, but every once in a while a young Gideon would take his meals in his mother's company, and she'd encourage him to play outside or take him out for the afternoon.   
  
He hadn't even realized the cause for these breaks in his routine until he'd been fourteen and they'd returned home too soon.   
  
The crash of glass was the same, whether caused by a cane against a counter of the pawnshop or the tossing of several vials across his father's laboratory.   
  
This time his mother wasn't beside him, ready to comfort and explain the situation. His father didn't look horrified at their presence, anger fleeing as a guilty expression came to his face.   
  
This time Gideon wasn't a cherished son to be shielded, but a near stranger intruding into the life of a very private man.   
  
"We're closed," Gold snarled, facing away.   
  
"So it says on the sign."  
  
That earned him a dry chuckle. His father had always appreciated a daring approach. "Miss Beaumont has already left," he told Gideon, the words clipped with forced calm as he turned around. He lowered the cane with a slow, precise motion, acting as if the debris around him didn't exist. "She must have forgotten to lock the door on her way out."  
  
Lacey had been tight-lipped when she'd arrived home hours too early for a Saturday. Most weeks nowadays, he or Henry might get a text late at night to warn them not to expect her until Monday.   
  
At least she stopped giving feeble excuses for her absence.   
  
They were getting too close, she and Gold. Too happy.   
  
Of course the curse kept targeting them.  
  
"I just saw Lacey. She made it home all right-" Gideon pretended not to notice the release of tension between his father's shoulders "-and was busy with dinner when I left."  
  
"Hmph."  
  
"She looked... stressed."  
  
"So you rushed over to scold the guilty party. How gallant, Mr. French. The defender of beautiful women." His father gave one of his nastier smiles. "I'm sure you've given no thought to the possibility of a reward."  
  
Gideon repressed a shudder at the implication. He had meant to speak on Lacey's behalf, but Gold's mood wouldn't let him listen. "I came to see if I could help you," he said instead.   
  
Gold sneered, ready to accuse Gideon of a lie.  
  
Gideon met his eye, daring the other man to find a sign of deception.   
  
"I'm fine," Gold gruffed out at last.   
  
"Funny. Lacey told me the same." Gideon glanced around the room with an arched eyebrow, finishing with a pointed look at the broken vase inches from his father's feet. "Her, though, I had to believe, as she wasn't surrounded with shards of pottery and glass."  
  
"My cane must have slipped," his father said, face straight. "My bad."  
  
Gideon nodded in apparent understanding. "Accidents happen."  
  
"It was a worthless piece, anyway."  
  
"You should know. It was yours."  
  
His father's violence always found himself as a focus. The Dark One's favorite victim had been Rumpelstiltskin himself.   
  
"I'll replace it in the morning. No one will miss it."  
  
"Except for Lace."  
  
Gold twisted his lips, hands curling around the handle of his cane. Anguish crossed his face, chased away by anger. "Well, she's not coming back, is she?"  
  
Gideon sucked in a breath. It wasn't the first time his parents squabbled. There had been misunderstandings and jealousies, both of them quick to find the weakness in their relationship. By nature Rumpelstiltskin and Belle disagreed on many subjects, and the curse made it difficult for Gold and Lacey to find middle ground.  
  
They bounced between bliss and disaster, always at the mercy of the curse's insidiousness, never learning from their mistakes.   
  
Trapped without the hope of a happy ending.   
  
Gideon had no idea what this latest argument had entailed, but he refused to believe it'd be their last.  
  
"Did you fire her?"  
  
Gold tapped his cane against the floor with irritation. He pursed his lips, head tilted so his hair shadowed his eyes. "Not yet."  
  
"Then she'll be here." His mother never backed down from duty. "She might not be happy, but she'll be here."  
  
Gold looked away. "I should let her go," he said in a low voice, staring down at the fist he'd made around the silver handle.   
  
"But you won't," Gideon told him, remembering his father's favorite story, perhaps the only story set in Storybrooke that hadn't been tweaked for a child's ears: the lonely wizard had reunited with his true love in a strange world. Years spent mourning her, and the depth of feelings hadn't waned.  
  
_Even if your mother had hated me - and gods, did she have enough reasons - I'd have treasured every second with her._   
  
Rumpelstiltskin didn't know how to let go.   
  
Gold nodded at Gideon's words. "Too selfish by far."  
  
"Love can be selfish sometimes."  
  
That startled Gold into turning around, eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Don't put words in my mouth, Mr. French. I just meant that someone must clean up. I never mentioned love."  
  
Gideon almost laughed. "Oh? My tongue must have slipped." He made sure to copy his father's earlier tone. " _My bad_."   
  
Gold snorted. "Bloody accidents."  
  
"If it helps," Gideon continued, "Lacey doesn't argue if that words floats around. Perhaps you could take that into account, next time you're tempted into dismissing her early."  
  
Gold fixed him with a glare. "I don't need your advice."  
  
"Yes, you do," Gideon challenged, though he followed it by raising his hands and stepping backwards. "But I'm not fool enough to stick around after giving it. Good night, Mr. Gold."  
  
"You're such a nuisance, French."  
  
The annoyance didn't quite hide the thread of amusement.   
  
His father did approve of a gutsy retreat.   
  
"You know," Gideon said with a smile, his hand already on the doorknob to let himself out, "my father used to tell me exactly the same."  
  
  
The End  
01/09/19


	13. cob

Henry sniffed the air, tilted his head with sudden realization, and with a bemused smile walked up to the stove and lifted the lid of the boiling pot. "Corncobs cooking with the rice? For real?" He glanced at Gideon. "I had finally come to the conclusion that Dad's the only person alive to do it, and it turns out my roommate knows the secret family recipe?"

Gideon didn't have time to panic. 

The truth was so farfetched that Henry chuckled at the oddity and jumped straight to an acceptably rational explanation: "Great minds do think alike, I guess."

Or their father had thought of how to save water and fire, and hadn't abandoned the habit even when he had no need to use them sparingly. 

One day, Baelfire would hear about all the little details that meant nothing unless you came from the Enchanted Forest _and_ were close to Rumpelstiltskin, and his older brother would panic.

Gideon hoped to at least have met him before either happened. 

"Yeah," he told Henry with an uncomfortable smile, hiding behind the fridge door as he pretended to look for another carrot to chop. He didn't enjoy lying to his nephew, even by omission, but explaining the truth was impossible. "Funny how it happens."

 

The End  
06/09/19

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, please?


End file.
